Amagasaki Domain Explained

Noautocat:no
Native Name:尼崎藩
Conventional Long Name:Amagasaki Domain
Common Name:Amagasaki Domain
Subdivision:Han
Status Text:under Tokugawa shogunate Japan
Government Type:Daimyō
Capital:Amagasaki Castle
Today:part of Hyōgo Prefecture
Year Start:1615
Year End:1871
Era:Edo period

right|250px|thumb|Reconstructed Amagasaki Castle tenshu was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Settsu Province in what is now the southeastern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It had its administrative headquarters at Amagasaki Castle. The domain extended over parts of Settsu Province that correspond to portions of the cities of Amagasaki, Nishinomiya, Ashiya, Kobe, Itami, and Takarazuka, in modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was controlled by the fudai daimyō Aoyama clan followed by the Sakurai-branch of the Matsudaira clan throughout most of its history. [1] [2] [3]

History

Takebe Mitsushige was the 700 koku Amagasaki gundai under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and was married to an adopted daughter of Ikeda Terumasa. In 1615, his son Takebe Matsunaga distinguished himself in the Siege of Osaka and as a result, he was awarded, jointly with his uncle Ikeda Shigetoshi, a 10,000 koku holding in northern Settsu Province, centered on Kawabe and Nishinari districts. This was the start of Amagasaki Domain. In 1617, Takebe Masanaga was transferred to Hayashida Domain and Ikeda Shigetoshi to Ikeda Domain, both in Harima Province. They were replaced by Toda Ujikane, formerly of Zeze Domain, with a kokudaka of 50,000 koku. He constructed Amagasaki Castle. In 1635 he was promoted to Ogaki Domain in Mino Province, and replaced by Aoyama Yoshinari, formerly of Kakegawa Domain in Tōtōmi Province. By developing new rice lands, he raised his kokudaka to 54,000 koku, but his son Aoyama Yukinari created a cadet branch of the clan, resulting in a reduction to 48,000 koku. The Aoyama ruled until 1711, and the period was a prosperous one for Amagasaki Domain.

The Aoyama were transferred to Iiyama Domainin Shinano Province, and Amagasaki was given to former Kakegawa daimyō Matsudaira Tadataka of the Sakurai-branch of the Matsudaira clan. The domain was reduced to 40,000 koku. Later, the Tokugawa shogunate increased the kokudaka to 45,000 koku with the shogunate exchanging 62 villages in Settsu for 71 in Harima Province; however, 36 of the villages in Settsu were wealthy villages known for their sake brewing industry, whereas the villages in Harima were rural and were scattered in various locations, making their administration difficult. As a result, although the nominal kokudaka had increased by 5000 koku, the actual kokudaka decreased sharply.

In January 1868, Matsudaira Tadaoki, the last daimyō, pledged allegiance to the Imperial Court in the Boshin War, and in February of the same year, he changed his surname to "Sakurai" under the direction of the new Meiji government. In 1871, the domain became "Amagasaki Prefecture" due to the abolition of the han system, and was incorporated into Hyōgo Prefecture the following year. Matsudaira Tadaoki was later made a viscount (shishaku) in the kazoku peerage and later became one of the founders of Hakuaisha (later known as the Japanese Red Cross Society) during the Satsuma Rebellion.

Holdings at the end of the Edo period

As with most domains in the han system, Amagasaki Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned kokudaka, based on periodic cadastral surveys and projected agricultural yields.[4] [5]

List of daimyō

Name Tenure Courtesy title Court Rank kokudaka
Takebe clan, 1615-1617 (Tozama)
11615 - 1617Tanba-no-kami (丹波守)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)10,000 koku
Ikeda clan, 1615-1617 (Tozama)
11615 - 1617Echizen-no-kami (越前守)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)10,000 koku
Toda clan, 1617-1635 (Fudai)
11617 - 1635Uneme-no-kami (采女正)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)50,000 koku
Aoyama clan, 1635-1711 (Fudai)
11635 - 1643Okura-shoyu (大蔵少輔)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)50,000 -> 54,000-> 48,000 koku
21643 - 1684Daizen-no-suke (大膳亮)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)50,000 koku
31684 - 1710Harima-no-kami (播磨守)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)50,000 -> 48,000 koku
41710 - 1711Daizen-no-suke (大膳亮)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)48,000 koku
Sakurai-Matsudaira clan, 1711-1871 (Fudai)
11711 - 1751Iwami-no-kami (石見守)Junior 4th Rank, Lower Grade (従四位下)48,000->45,000 -> 45,000 koku
21751 - 1766Totomi-no-kami (遠江守)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)45,000 koku
31766 - 1805Totomi-no-kami (遠江守)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)45,000 koku
41805 - 1813Totomi-no-kami (遠江守))Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)45,000 koku
51813 - 1829Totomi-no-kami (遠江守)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)45,000 koku
61829 - 1861Totomi-no-kami (遠江守)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)45,000 koku
71861 - 1871Hyogo-no-kami (兵庫頭)Junior 5th Rank, Lower Grade (従五位下)45,000 koku

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Nakayama . Yoshiaki . 江戸三百藩大全 全藩藩主変遷表付 . 2015 . Kosaido Publishing . 978-4331802946.
  2. Book: Nigi . Kenichi . 藩と城下町の事典―国別 . 2004 . Tokyodo Printing . 978-4490106510.
  3. Book: Papinot, E. 1910. Historical and Geographic Dictionary of Japan . Tuttle (reprint) 1972 .
  4. [Jeffrey Mass|Mass, Jeffrey P.]
  5. Elison, George and Bardwell L. Smith (1987). Warlords, Artists, & Commoners: Japan in the Sixteenth Century, p. 18.